Seeking the wisdom of the Flist

[intertext]

Especially those familiar with London airports...

I've booked a ticket to Venice from London leaving at 7:25am from Gatwick - I had all kinds of sensible reasons for doing this, but now am having second thoughts. Is this technically feasible? (I know that the first Gatwick express from Victoria leaves at 4:30, and they run every half hour thereafter). My hotel is near Earls Court station. I guess what I'm asking is how sticky are they about the time ahead - how risky is it to be later than two hours ahead of time. It's probably easier to rebook a hotel nearer to Gatwick for my last night than to try to change my airline booking (it's British Airways). And is the Gatwick express the best/fastest way to get there from where I am?

Thoughts?

Comments

[ellarien]

The thing about London airports is that you can easily spend an hour waiting in line to check in, at least for transatlantic flights -- I don't have as much experience with European ones. The security lines are better than they used to be in the grim days of 2006, though, and Gatwick is a bit smaller and friendlier than Heathrow.

I'd get a hotel at the airport, if it was me.

[oursin.livejournal.com]

This has either got a lot better since the advent of online checking in, or I have been really, really lucky over the last few years!

[ellarien]

Come to think of it, the last time I went out through Heathrow they told me to use the self-check machine, and then the line for bag-drop was only about half an hour. So maybe things are getting better.